Cheap HTPC, processor questions

Page 2 - Seeking answers? Join the Tom's Hardware community: where nearly two million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

dproberts

Distinguished
Aug 10, 2009
59
0
18,630
I've never built a PC before, & I'm looking to build a cheap HTPC. I'm looking for a system that will:

1) function as a DVR for over-the-air HD channels, with at least 500GB of storage (preferably 1 TB or more).
2) play Blu Rays (don't need any burning abilities),
3) stream video (Netflix and such) and output HDMI to one 720p TV. Eventually I'll probably want to stream video over our home network to other TVs too.
4) Fit inside my TV cabinet, run 24/7 (for the DVR), not overheat, & run reliably for years
5) If possible, allow me to play Lord of the Rings Online

My budget is about $350-$400 for the build itself (before accessories like OS [Win 7 Home Premium] & keyboard/mouse, but a remote & WiFi would be nice). While I would appreciate specific build suggestions, I've seen a fair amount of builds online, and as a newbie I'm fairly overwhelmed. So, these are my starting questions, & I'd appreciate any help with them!

1) Form Factor - an ATX case won't fit in our entertainment center (it's too deep), but a mini-ITX or microATX will. It will be in there with my audio receiver, which already heats the space up pretty good. So, I'm leaning towards the mini-ITX option, as it gives me more options for placement in case I need to move the unit outside the entertainment center. However, the miniITX cases don't seem to have room for 2 expansion cards, meaning that I have to choose between a graphics card and a tuner card. Do the external USB tuner sticks like this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815260023] work pretty well, or would I be better off with an internal tuner? I just got a decent indoor antenna that pulls in the local channels (25 mi away) pretty well, if that makes a difference.

2) Processor - it looks like there are a lot of processors in my price range that could perform the basic HTPC functions. The most popular options appear to be A) Intel i3-530, using the onboard graphics, B) dual-core Atom with NVIDIA ION, or C) a cheaper dual core Intel (like a Pentium E5400, or similar AMD) with a low-end graphics card. From my experience, pretty much any dual-core processor with discrete GPU can run LOTRO on its highest settings, so I'm not too worried about the specifics there.
Both the Atom and i3 options would consume very little power at idle, which is good. The E5400 & similar chips aren't designed for running 24/7, & I might end up with overheating problems in my situation. I also might need to invest in a higher-quality 80 PLUS power supply. Options A and B seem a lot more simple, especially since this will be a secondary gaming machine at best. However, if I'm overstating the heating/power consumption problems & I can get a low-end gaming machine for basically the same price as the other builds, it seems silly not to.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
 

dproberts

Distinguished
Aug 10, 2009
59
0
18,630
We had already tried connecting the cable directly to the TV and it worked just fine, so we knew it wasn't the signal. Our wireless g router is 8-10 years old, so we thought it was probably the culprit. We went out today and bought a new wireless N router, and the cable now looks great.

Netflix on our Roku box also looks great. However, I have noticed that Netflix via Firefox and WMC are not very good - basically unwatchable. I'm not sure what's going on inside the Roku box that makes it work - enough buffering of our inherently slow internet? According to speednest.net, we're getting 6.73 Mbps download, which is pretty much in line with what Earthlink tells us (we're paying for 7.0 Mbps). For another $10 per month we can upgrade to 15 Mbps, but I think we might stick with what we have for right now.
 

kryptonian99

Distinguished
Oct 28, 2010
11
0
18,510


What case was it? Do you have a link to it? I'm build a new htpc as well and it sounds really cool.
 
It's the nMedia HTPC-8000 case. Newegg doesn't carry it anymore, but you can still get it at Directron.

Yrbe414lDSeRUNeeb4HOljpi71EWA1z8imgdupGUTypW_sS0byjQUwojLRDcTipHeyJnq5CQV9e2-oP78WiuzSF7WGN0MpqZZjUTjxv4yMuBZWYOHOLAaCkk3GkM52Bu92Yrek3ScVEJ-VXsc-Stt2E6ri3vCO-tb9FtrILM5bo